Fur wetting apparatus



Aug. 14, 1945. J. MORGENSTERN FUR WETTI NG APPARATUS Filed May 15, 1943 2 SheetsSheet l Aug. 14, 1945.

J. MORGENSTERN FUR WETTING APPARATUS Filed Maly 15 1943 2 SheQts-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

Patented Aug. 14, 1945 2,382,089 FUR WETTING APPARATUS Jacob Morgenstern, Brooklyn, N. Y. Application May 15,1943, Serial No. 487,132

6 Claims. (01. e9 29) This invention relates to fur pelt conditioning apparatus, and more particularly to means for uniformly wetting the skin side of a fur pelt.

During the process of preparing a fur pelt for incorporation into a garment, it is necessary to thoroughly wet the skin or leather side of the fur pelt in order that the pelt may be properly stretched for assembling with other pelts into such garment. If the skin side of the pelt is not thoroughly and uniformly wet, difficulty is experienced in utilizing the full area of the pelt as full stretch of the skin is not obtainable. Naturally, this would result in wastage.

Hitherto, this wetting operation has been performed manually by placing the pelt on a support with its fur side downward and then rubbing water into the skin or leather side of the pelt by means of a brush. It has been impractical by the manual operation to obtain uniform irrigation or wetting of the skin side of the pelt. This required additional time for absorption-of the water, and necessitated wringing of each individual pelt to remove excess water. The only alternative was to permit the pelt to soak for several hours, and in such soaking the fur side also became wetted,-.which is undesirable as it affects the appearance and quality of the fur, and necessitates additional time for drying the pelt. r

If the garment is made overwet, it becomes dry and crunchy, rather than pliable. It is therefore difficult to nail the pelt to designated shape. Furthermore, some dampness is left on the surface of the pelt as allthe water does not enter the pores thereof. This frequently caused skipping or breaking of needles during the sewing process.

-It is therefore among the objects of this invention to provide apparatus for uniformly and controllably wetting the skin or leather side of a fur pelt; to provide such apparatus having means for forcing water into the pores of the skin side of the pelt; to provide such apparatus including means for applying a regulated amount of water to the skin side of a fur pelt and means for insuring a substantially uniform penetration of the water "into the pores of the skin side of a fur pelt; to provide such apparatus including means for insuring thorough and uniform wetting of the skin side of a fur pelt while protecting the fur side of the pelt from moisture; and to provide such apparatus in which the component parts may be easily disassembled for inspect on,

repair or replacement.

. of the apparatus opposite to that illustrated in These and other objects; advantages and features of the invention will be apparent from the following description and accompanying drawings. In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is aside elevational viewof apparatus embodying the principles of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional viewthrough the apparatus shown in Fig. l. I

Fig. 3is a top plan view of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional View on the line 4 4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a partial elevational view of the side Fig. 1. j

Generally speaking, according to the present inventionjthe pelt is passed through a pair'of fee d rolls so that its leather or skin side is brought adjacent a rotating brush. Water is supplied to the rotary brush at afregulated rate, and the brush forces the water, into the pores of the leather orskin side of the pelt. Uniform application'of water to the skin side of the pelt results, and "the "amount and penetration of the wetting can ,be controlled by varying the rate of flow of .water to the brush and by varying the pressure with which the bristles of the brush engage the skin side of the pelt. Suitable means are provided for regulating the flow of water and for regulating the pressure with which the brush engages the skin side .of the pelt. Other means are provided for draining the used water from the vicinity of the brush and for straining foreign particles v therefrom. j

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the apparatus comprises a frame It), included uprights H, II and cross members I2, I 3 and I 4. A. pair of brackets. l5 are supported onthe cross member l4 and-serve. as supports for the bearings for the rotary brush and the feed rolls. A: pair of brackets l6 secured to the forward ends of the brackets |5 support a workorfeed-table H The pelt I8 is placed on the table I! with its fur sidedown on the table and isfed into the machine by feed rolls l9 and 20. The feed roll I 9 .is provided with'trunnions 2| mounted in ment of the pressure of the springs 26 is accomplished by suitable adjusting means such as a screw 28 provided with a lock nut 29. The roller l9 may be lifted from a position adjacent the roller 2|], and against the force of spring 25, by means of levers 30 pivoted at 3| on the bracket l5, and connected by links 32 to a treadle 33 adjacent the lower end of the frame Ill. The treadle 33 is provided with cut-away portions 34 whichv slidably engage the forward vertical supports II to guide the treadle in its vertical movement.

As the pelt l8 passes through the feed rolls I9 and 20, its leather or skin side is engaged by bristles .39. of the rotary brush 40, which is mounted in bearings 4| and 42 which are adjustable longitudinally of the frame II]. For this purpose, a pair of pins 43 are slidabl'y mounted in the bracket I and provided withcollars 44 engaged by springs 45. The opposite I zontal supports l2.

vided with a low level drain, the sump pump Ill will not be necessary, and an ordinary outlet pipe to the main drain may be substituted.

The feed rolls I9 and 2|] and the brush 40, are driven by a motor mounted on the hori- The motor '15 is provided with a pulley I6 which drives a pulley 11 on the trunnion 18 of brush through a belt 19. The opposite trunnion 80 of the brush 40 is provided with a grooved pulley 8| which is connected by a belt 82 to a larger grooved pulley 83 mounted ends of the springs 45 contact a block 46 forming part of each bracket I5. The forward ends of the pins 43 are pointed as at 41, and extend into conical recesses 48 in the bearings 4| and 42. The bearings 4| and 42v are also formed with conical recesses 49 diametrically opposite the recesses 48 and these. recesses are. enga ed by the pointed ends 50 of threadedpins 5.1-. The pins 5| are each threaded through upstanding ears. or lugs 5.2 on the brackets l5 and are held in,

adjusted position by means of lock nuts 53..

The described construction permits. adjustment of the. distance. between the ends of the. brush bristles 39 and the feed roll 20, and thereby of the pressure with which the. brushv bristl'es;-39

engage the skin side of the pelt t8. Further more, the described. construction-permits. of ready removal of the rotary brush 40 from the apparatus for the purpose of cleaning, repair or replacement, To remove the brush 411, it ismerely necessary to urge the same forwardly against; the pins 43 until the bearings 4|: and. 42. are clear of the pins 5|. The brush can. then be. easily removed from the apparatus, without disturbing the preset adjustment of the pins. 51..

point below the horizontal members l3.

swung out of position to permit removal or inspection of the brush. 40. The brush 40 is suppliedwith. water from perforated pipe mounted in theupper portion of the hood .51. The pipe. 60 is. supplied withwater from a supply pipe, 6| through a regulating valve 62 from which two branches 63 and 64 conduct water to the pipe 6.0.. The

provision of the two branches 63, d4 assures an even distribution of water to the pipe 30. The. amount of water, discharged. by the pipe 60 is controlled by the valve 62, andlfbr ready ad-, justment this valve may be provided' with a dial} 65 and a; pointer 66. The supply pipe 6| is preferably made flexible to'permit the hood 51" to be swung back on its hinges 53; ,Wjaterfrom the trough 55 is discharged through a drain pipe 6|? into a drain tank 69 mounted on' the horizontal members I 2. The drain tank 'GB isprovided with a sump pump 10 operated by a motor H which is controlled by a float Water'irom the drain tank 69 is discharged through an outlet pipei13'. Such an arrangement is generally necessary ini lofts where the. apparatus of the: invention be used, due to the factthat the drain 'pipesin. such lofts are usually located. at ceiling level rather than at the floor level. However, if the location where the apparatus is installed is pro on a shaft 84 supported in bearings on the cross member l3. Also, fixed tothe shaft 84 is a drive sprocket 85 connected by a chain 86 to a drive sprocket 8:1 fixed to the trunnion 23 of feed roller 20. Belt 82 is crossed between the pulleys 8| and- 83 in order to reverse the direction of rotation of these pulleys.

Through the described arrangement, the motor 1:5 drives the brush 4|) which in turn drives the. pulley 83 andshaft B4- in reverse direction, causing the sprocket 85' to drive the sprocket 81 associated with the feed. roller 20-. The relative rotation of the feed rollers l9 and 2|) and the brush 40 is in the direction indicatedby the arrows of Fig. 2.- Onits opposite trunnion, roller 520 is provided with a large toothed gear 90; meshing with a similar gear 9| secured to the trunnion 2| of roller l'9. The roller 2|). thus drives the roller IS in a reverse direction, and the relatively large teeth on the gears 90 andQ-l permit meshing of these gears over a considerable variation in spacing of the rolls l'9'and 2D. The water dripping from the skin side of the pelt as it comes from between the brush 46' and the roller 20' is collected in a drip pan 93 formed on the lower portion off the extension 56 of trough '55, and the drip pan is connected by admin pipe.

" 20, with its fur side placed downwardly upon Leo the table IT. The water supply-is then turned on through the valve 62, and the motor 15 is en ergized to rotate the brush 40 and the feed rolls l9 and 20. The feed rollers move the skin side of the pelt against the bristles 3|] of the rapidly revolving brush 40' which thereupon uniformly forces water into the skin side of the pelt, and

thoroughly wets the same to the desired extent. Preferably, the bristles 39 are madeof fiber or animal matter as these hold the water better for brushing, and avoid scratching of the skin, as'

I distinguished from wire bristles. The bristles also the pelt I8, the bristles 39 are arranged in clus-' ters which are spaced uniformly over the surface of the rolls, and thebristl'es are uniform in length. In. one embodiment, the bristles are on inch in lengthand the clusters are spaced one-half inch apart on the roll'. To assure uni-form wetting of the bristles, the apertures 60" in the pipe 60'' are uniformly spaced at :close intervals throughout the length of the. pipe, and are made with a very fine drill. In one embodiment, the apertures 60' are spaced one-half inch apart; and substantially aligned with the bristle clusters.-

The. described apparatus reduces: the time of the wetting operation by 50% or more, and by proper adjustment will force: water into the pores" of the skin side of the pelt leaving the surface in a condition equivalent to that of a skin permitted to soak for several hours. Uniform application of water to the skin side of the pelt is assured at all times, which makes the skin instantly suitable for handling by the cutter and operator, with. no need for allowing time for absorption of the water or for wringing each individual skin to absorb excess water. The uniform application of water over the entire area of the skin side of the pelt improves the stretch of the pelt, in contrast to manual application of the water which may leave some portions of the pelt poorly irrigated. Furthermore, such uniform wetting assures full stretch of the skin, permitting the cutter to utilize every inch of material most efliciently with minimum effort and time.

As there is very little surface dampness due to most of the water entering the pores of the skin side of the pelt, the skipping or breaking g of needles is greatly reduced. While the garment is not made overwet, which is very likely when the irrigating operation is done by hand, it is thoroughly wetted to a point sufficient to mak it pliable and easy to nail to designated shape. In the case of extra large pelts, they may be doubled over with their fur side inwardly, and first ne skin side surface wetted, and then the other skin side. Wetting of the fur part of the pelt is avoided .by the present apparatus.

While a specific embodiment of the invention has been described in detail to illustrate the principles of the invention, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that the invention may be otherwise embodied without departing from the scope of such principles.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for uniformly wetting the skin sid of a fur pelt comprising a frame; a rotary brush mounted on said frame; a trough mounted on said frame beneath said rotary brush; a hood hingedly secured to said trough above and covering said rotary brush; valve means secured to said lhood for supplying water by gravity to said rotary brush at a regulated rate; flexible means for supplying water to said valve means; means for feeding the skin side of the pelt against said rotary brush; and gravity means for discharging excess water from said trough.

2. Apparatus for uniformly wetting the skin side of a fur pelt comprising a frame; a rotary brush mounted on the upper part of said frame; valve means for supplying water to said rotary brush at a regulated'rate; means for supplying water to said valve means; apair of feeding rollers mounted on the upper part of said frame for feeding the skin side of the fur pelt against said rotary brush; resilient means normally urging one of said rollers toward the other; and means for moving said rollers apart to pemit insertion of a pelt therebetween including a pair of levers pivotally mounted n the upper part of said frame and engaging one of said rollers, a treadle slidably mounted on th lower part of said frame and links connecting said levers to said treadle.

3. Apparatus for uniformly wetting the skin side of a fur pelt comprising a frame; a rotary brush mounted on the upper part of said frame; valve means for supplying water by gravity to said rotary brush at a regulated rate; means for supplying water to said valve means; means for feeding the skin side of the pelt against said rotary brush comprising a pair of feeding rollers mounted on the upper part of said frame and a work table mounted adjacent said rollers; a trough having a main portion mounted on said frame beneath said rotary brush and an extension beneath said work table; a. drain tank mounted on the lower part of said frame; and means connecting said trough main portion and said extension to said drain tank to discharge excess water thereinto by gravity.

4. Apparatus for uniformly wetting the skin side of a fur pelt comprising a frame; a pair of bearings mounted on the upper part of said frame; a pair of adjustable abutments mounted on said frame and engaging one side of said bearings; a pair of spring pressed abutments mounted on said frame and engaging the opposite side of said bearings; a rotary brush mounted in said bearings; means for feeding the skin side of the pelt against said rotary brush; a hood hingedly secured to said frame; and means for supplying water to said rotary brush at a regulated rate comprising a perforated pipe secured inside said hood and aligned above said brush, a pair of oppositely extending branch pipes mounted on said, hoodand connected to said perforated pipe, a valve connecting said branch pipes and flexible means for supplying water to said valve.

5. Apparatus for uniformly wetting the skin side of a fur pelt comprising a frame; a pair of bearings mounted on the upper part of said frame; a pair of adjustable abutments mounted on said frame and engaging one side of said bearings; a pair of spring pressed abutments mounted on said frame and engaging the opposite side of said bearings; a rotary brush mounted in said bearings; means for feeding the skin side of the pelt against said rotary brush;

a hood hingedly secured to said frame; and means for supplying water to said rotary brush at a regulated rate comprising a perforated pipe secured inside said hood and aligned above said brush, a pair of oppositely extending branch pipes mounted on said hood and connected to said perforated pipe, a valve connecting said branch pipes and flexible means for supplying Water to said valve, said valve being provided with a dial and a pointer for ready regulation of the flow of Water. 7

6. Apparatus for uniformly wetting the skin side of a fur pelt comprising a frame; a rotary brush mounted on the upper part of said frame; valve means for supplying water to said rotary brush at a regulated rate; means for supplying waterto said valve means; a pair of cooperating feeding rollers mounted on the upper part of said frame; a Work table mounted adjacent said rollers and having an'upper surface aligned with the intersection of said rollers; a motor mount.-

ed on the lower part of said frame and proa large pulley secured to one end of said rotary brush; a small pulley vided with a drive pulley;

secured to the other end of said rotary brush; gear means interconnecting said rollers; driving means connecting said motor drive pulley to said large brush pulley; relatively, large pulley means mounted on an intermediate portion of said frame; a sprocket secured to said pulley means; driving means connecting said small brush pulley to said pulley means; a sprocket secured to one of said rollers; and driving means interconnecting said sprocke JACOB MORGENB'I'ERN. 

